MSS: Cammile Adams

NCAA title contender Cammile Adams joins today's edition of The Morning Swim Show to talk about her amazing sophomore year so far at Texas A&M University. Adams won two events at the recent Austin Grand Prix, setting herself up not only for a chance to win at the NCAA championships, but contend for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She talks about the training at College Station and how the Aggies are looking as they head into the championship season.

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Peter Busch: Welcome to the Morning Swim Show for Friday, January 27th, 2012. I'm your host Peter Busch. In the FINIS Monitor today we will talk to Cammile Adams from Texas A&M University. She won our performance of the week last week after going 2:06 in the 200 fly and 4:38 in the 400 IM, both long course meters. Needless to say she is a contender for NCAA championships at those events this year. Cammile Adams joins us right now in the FINIS Monitor from College Station, Texas. Hi Cammile, welcome to the Morning Swim Show, how are you?

Peter Busch: Which one of those two events were you happier with at Austin?

Cammile Adams: Oh, definitely, definitely the 200 fly. I mean I like the 400 IM but 200 fly is definitely like, my baby race, so that is the one I get most excited about.

Peter Busch: And 2:06 I mean that is near medal contention at the Olympics here.

Cammile Adams: I don't know about that but yeah I was really happy with it. I haven't gone a best time since about my junior year of high school, so I know it was like, it was coming and I expected to be around like a 2:08 like Steve and I have talked about earlier, and so the 2:06 is kind of a shock if you watch my reaction, but I am definitely really excited about it.

Peter Busch: Okay last year at NCAA's: second in the 200 fly only made consols in your other events, 400 IM and 500 free so were you expecting this big jump year-to-year?

Cammile Adams: Right, I mean coming in the college I had shoulder surgery right before I got here, so the beginning of last year up until I think my first meet when until about end of October, beginning of November somewhere around there. So a lot of last year is just kind of like a rebuilding here in things of that sort so coming in to this year I didn't really have to like take time and just be kicking and just resting my shoulders and that sort of thing but instead we could get training right away so I think that was definitely beneficial and I think that really helped out with meet last weekend.

Peter Busch: How is your shoulder now? Would you say it is just as good as it was before?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

Peter Busch: Well I mean obviously you are swimming like it is but you never know. Okay so you are in your second year in college. Not only have you acclimated to college a little bit better but you are healthier than you have been in a couple of years do you feel like you know this is your year to win an NCAA championship?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, yeah I think that is a definitely a goal to have out there. I am always happy with a best time so that is definitely first and foremost is one of my goals. I can't really control what she is going to do or what the other competitors are going to do, but definitely a national championship would definitely be a goal that is out there for me, but I would also be very happy with a best time so…

Peter Busch: One thing that we do see happen sometimes is when somebody swims so fast in season in your case a 2:06 long course -- again that is probably a time that would make the U.S Olympic team. Is there any extra pressure now that you have gone so fast in season that, oh my gosh when the big meet comes around, Trials, I have got to be, I have got to do better than that?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, right. I mean you know definitely Steve and I kind of talked about that actually when we got back from the meet last week and just kind of realized that what worked at the meet, I was having fun, I wasn't stressed out. I was kind of I mean I swim at Texas before I have swim there so many times. I just kind of stay and just enjoying the meet and being my goofy self and I think that really, really played well in the cards for me so hopefully just to do that again Big 12s and at NCAA and see how that goes and just set me up for trials so…

Peter Busch: I was going to say that that sort of you know happy go lucky spirit isn't always so easy to capture at the big meet, right?

Cammile Adams: Right, right, yeah.

Peter Busch: Especially Olympic trials.

Cammile Adams: Yeah. I mean I think we have a large group of girls going to trials and I definitely think that the team at Texas A&M definitely we bring out the best of each other and I have been so blessed to have such an awesome team that just to pump me up and get excited and I do the same for them and I don't think that I would come near this one something in the past years if I haven't had such a great team and they kind of tell me though I believe in myself and enjoy swimming and that sort of thing because I wasn't quite at the same state when I came to college so I'm really grateful for them.

Peter Busch: How did you end up with Texas A&M?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, I mean I took trips to different schools. A bunch of different schools. I mean this is only an hour away from my house. I just happen that I thought and felt like this is the best place for me and my twin sister is also on the team here so we didn't really make our college decisions together more so but we both kind of decided this is going to be the best place for us and we love being close to hom, so it is perfect.

Peter Busch: I was going to say tell us about your twin sister who you swim with?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, yeah. I live with her and I swim with her and most of the time we have classes together so we are like attached to the hip basically and I am kind of a package deal now I guess that we go to school together so we have a lot of fun and she is a – hold on, let me close this door. She is like my best friend and we have a lot of fun together.

Peter Busch: Identical twins?

Cammile Adams: Yes sir.

Peter Busch: Have you guys ever pulled the whole, you swim for me, I swim for you?

Cammile Adams: No, no definitely not.

Peter Busch: Where does she swim?

Cammile Adams: She swims like the mile that is her—

Peter Busch: Oh so you don't want to trade with her?

Cammile Adams: No thanks, not at all.

Peter Busch: Not that you are exactly swimming you know everybody's favorite events.

Cammile Adams: Yeah. No, I will let her keep that one. She likes the 800 as well and also she came close to giving her trials get in a couple of other things so maybe she will branch out a little bit but yeah she likes mile the best so…

Peter Busch: Did I see your real name is actually Natalie?

Cammile Adams: Yeah I go by my middle name so it can cause confusion some times but—

Peter Busch: Ah, okay. Tell us about how you train. I mean I imagine you do a fair amount of yardage with the events you swim but I mean how would you describe your training atmosphere there at Texas A&M?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, I mean Steve is very, very -- we do the same kind of things every week like I know Monday morning is going to be distance free and I know Monday night is either going to be 400 IM kind of stuff or 200 IM with more butterfly so, and then the whole week kind of goes that way so you know what to expect which I think is really, really beneficial and going into practice you can kind of mentally you are ready like you know what race you are going to swim before you swim it so it seems really big on that and we kind of do the same sorts of things every week. I mean he changes things, varies things a little and that is varied but I think that is really been official and then just always having girl's to train with. Rita Medrano is definitely she swims the 200 fly and she kicks my but all day in practice. She can go forever, she is amazing so I think really just having always having girls to train with is just something that I haven't always been used to and I think it has really, really helped my just performance in practice a lot.

Peter Busch: So it is based on routine is a good way to describe it?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, for sure.

Peter Busch: Tell us how you set up that 200 fly for those who didn't watch it or maybe see the splits, tell us what was the strategy in that swim?

Cammile Adams: Right. I mean normally I usually tend to take it out a little bit slower than that and then try to come back as fast as possible. Over the Christmas break when I was at home I kind of had talked to my club coach at home and she was saying like let's try to take it out faster like you know you are going to be able to bring it home so, and that is kind of what I was thinking about and I talked to Steve and was like you can take it out as fast as you want but as long as it feels easy. And so I mean it did feel easy I just tried to swim at my own race is going in because I know Jemma Lowe was going to be out fast like she was in the morning so I think third 50 could have used a little bit more work, but definitely I thought I saw a lot of legs coming home so I was really happy with how it planned out.

Peter Busch: So has that permanently changed your strategy?

Cammile Adams: I don't know, we are still kind of playing around with a couple different, with a couple different things until trials so we will see how it goes.

Peter Busch: How is the team looking this year because I know Texas A&M has certainly had some success in the recent years but you know it has been tough to maybe sustain elite status, but you are definitely close.

Cammile Adams: Yeah, right, I mean we definitely have goals to be like a top four team, top five team and I know A&M's eventually, we are going to get there, there is no question about it. Steve is really good at recruiting that aren't really top of the notch and making them top of the notch like Alia and Julia that graduated a couple of years ago, and then, so I think that is something Steve really, really good I am just having Tanica here as well I think that is also been a change for this year and I think it is a really positive change. She is good at just getting the team riled up and getting us close together and she was, she went pro for like 6 years so for girls that wanted to swim after college like I do I think she is really good and I just kind of be good like help for like the mindset of it at least and how to do that and that sort of thing. Then talking about the girls. Lili Ibanez is redshirting this year and I believe Sarah Henry is as well. She has had knee stuff and then Lili has back stuff, so we have a couple of girls that are out, but we are definitely still extremely excited about Big 12 and NC's and I don't think that is going to completely change our season whatsoever and we are all really excited about it, even the girls that are redshirting so…

Peter Busch: What are you studying?

Cammile Adams: I am an Education major.

Peter Busch: Do you want to be a teacher or not sure yet?

Cammile Adams: Yeah, for right now I think I'm going to stick with teaching, maybe do some kind of speech pathology or some kind of counseling outside of school after I graduate. So just kind of keep my options open for right now.

Peter Busch: Very good. It is going to be a blast to watch you in 2012, congrats on the recent success.

Cammile Adams: Thank you so much.

Peter Busch: Alright that is Cammile Adams joining us in the FINIS Monitor from Texas A&M and that is it for today's show. I am Peter Busch reminding you to keep your head down at the finish.